CMPD monitoring St. Patrick's Day celebrations

CHARLOTTE - Officers are out looking for drunk drivers this weekend. They want to prevent accidents during the dangerous holiday weekend. Like New Year’s Eve, many people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day weekend in a bar. People Channel 9 spoke with in Uptown already had plans in place to get home safely.

“In Charlotte with Uber, taxis….and everything else that is out there, you should be able to get a ride home period,” Zachary Gantt said.

Officers agree, but they know some people will try to break the law.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, around 269 people were killed by drunk drivers on St Patrick’s days from 2007-2011.

And officers see those tragedies firsthand.

“Once you go knock on someone's door at 3 in the morning to tell them that their father, son, mother or daughter is never coming home as a result of an impaired driving collision, then it really makes you dedicated, makes you want to get these people off the road,” Sgt. Jesse Wood said.

Police arrested 11 people for DWI at a Wilkinson Boulevard checkpoint Friday night.